Source-backed analysis9
Review basis
Research-based review: the AppDuo Editorial Team compiled it from official pages, documentation, app stores, press and user feedback, without hands-on testing. Every claim links to a source with the date it was checked.
9 reference sourcesInformation updated Nov 10, 2026
How we review
Patreon Review
Membership platform where creators earn directly from their supporters
By AppDuo Editorial Team · Updated
- Web
- iOS
- Android
On this page
Decide at a glance
Our verdict
Patreon suits creators who want recurring income or digital sales without building their own payments, and fans who want to back creators directly; its iOS app rates 4.9/5. The trade-offs: new creators pay a 10% platform fee plus payment fees, and Trustpilot sits at 1.2/5 with many complaints about charges and support.
Best for: Video, podcast, music, art and game creators wanting monthly or annual memberships
Skip it if: Creators who want to keep nearly all revenue, since processing, conversion and payout fees come on top of the 10% platform fee
Pros
- Free to start; monthly and annual memberships, one-time sales, video, livestreaming, email newsletters and chat
- Patreon handles payments, chargebacks, fraud and most tax collection, with 16+ currencies
- iOS app 4.9/5 (over 582K ratings) and Android 4.6/5 (about 312K reviews)
Cons
- Total cost exceeds 10%: payment processing (e.g. 2.9% + $0.30), 2.5% currency conversion and payout fees on top
- Outside the US, memberships and digital goods bought in the iOS app go through Apple's in-app purchase with a 30% App Store fee
All pros and cons · Who is it for?
Pros
- Per its About page, 300,000+ creators and over $10B earned by creators since 2013
Cons
- Trustpilot 1.2/5 from 961 reviews, mostly about unexpected charges, refunds and automated support
- A 2015 data breach and the 2025 profile-merge backlash
Best for
- Podcasters who need podcast import and sync, RSS distribution and Spotify integration
- Fans who want to back specific creators and get members-only content
Skip it if
- Fans who expect quick refunds; Trustpilot reviews cite refund difficulty and automated replies
Problems it solves
Experience & key features
What is Patreon?
Patreon is a membership platform from Patreon, Inc. (San Francisco), founded in 2013 by musician Jack Conte and Sam Yam so creators can be paid directly by fans. Its About page cites 300,000+ creators, 10 million+ fans paying for memberships each month, and over $10B earned by creators since 2013.
How it works
Creators build a page, set monthly or annual tiers and sell one-time digital products; fans join to unlock posts, video, audio or chat. The pricing page also lists podcast management (import, sync, RSS, Spotify), exportable email lists, member analytics, free trials and discounts. Per the help centre, all creators were on subscription billing as of 1 November 2026.
Pricing and real cost
Opening a page is free; for creators who publish after 4 August 2025, Patreon takes 10% of income. On top come payment-processing fees that vary by currency (e.g. 2.9% + $0.30), a 2.5% currency-conversion fee when the payer's currency differs from the payout currency, payout fees and taxes. Outside the US, Apple requires digital purchases in the iOS app, memberships included, to use its in-app purchase system with a 30% fee; Patreon charges no processing fee on those but its platform fee still applies. iOS users in the US can pay through Patreon's mobile web checkout instead and avoid the 30% fee.
More analysis
Compared with alternatives
Kickstarter and Indiegogo fund individual projects, while Patreon targets recurring income. Skool and Mighty Networks focus on communities and courses run by their owners. Patreon's strengths are fan familiarity and all-in-one payments; the downsides are cumulative fees and poor support feedback.
Screenshots
Plans & pricing
Prices last verified Nov 10, 2026
Người hâm mộ
PersonalFree
Creating an account and following creators is free; you pay only when you join a creator's paid tier or buy their content, at prices the creator sets.
Creator (gói tiêu chuẩn)
BusinessFree
Free to start; Patreon takes 10% of income, plus payment-processing, currency-conversion and payout fees and applicable taxes. Applies to creators who publish after 4 August 2025; those who published on or before that date keep their existing pricing.
- Free plan limits
- Starting a Patreon is free; fees apply only when you earn. Per the help centre, the 10% plan includes up to 100 hours of video hosting a month if you have paying fans.
- Free trial
- No free trial
Cancellation & refunds
The fan-side refund policy could not be verified because the relevant help page was not opened. On Trustpilot, many reviews describe difficulty getting refunds after unexpected charges.
Privacy
Patreon's privacy policy sits on a Transcend privacy centre whose content could not be accessed at the time of checking, so data collection and retention details are unverified. On Google Play, Patreon declares the app may share personal info and device IDs with third parties, may collect location, personal info and 7 other data types, encrypts data in transit and accepts deletion requests. Per Wikipedia, in October 2015 Patreon suffered a cyber-attack: almost 15 GB of password data, donation records and source code was published, exposing more than 2.3 million unique email addresses. Also per Wikipedia, in November 2025 Patreon merged fan profiles into creator profiles, drawing significant negative feedback on Reddit and other forums. The pricing page says Patreon handles payments itself, including chargebacks, disputes and fraud, and accepts Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, PayPal, Apple Pay, Venmo and Sofort.
Patreon alternatives
Frequently asked questions
How much does Patreon charge?
Creators who publish after 4 August 2025 pay a 10% platform fee on income, plus payment-processing, currency-conversion and payout fees and taxes where applicable. Earlier creators keep their existing pricing.
Do fans have to pay to use Patreon?
No, accounts are free. You pay only when joining a paid tier or buying a creator's content, at the creator's price.
Is buying in the iOS app more expensive?
Possibly. For one-time purchases, the help centre says iOS in-app prices are raised by roughly 43% by default to offset Apple's 30% App Store fee, unless the creator absorbs it. US users can pay through Patreon's web checkout to avoid the fee.
Does Patreon have a mobile app?
Yes, on iOS (4.9/5) and Android (4.6/5, 10M+ downloads per Google Play).
Review evidence & sources9
Scores
- Ease of use
- 8.1
- Features
- 8.3
- Value for money
- 6.9
- Performance
- 7.2
- Support
- 5.8
- Privacy & security
- 5.6
Why this score
iOS 4.9/5 from over 582K ratings and Android 4.6/5 from about 312K; opening a page is free. Marked down because Trustpilot reviewers report trouble cancelling and controlling renewals.
Why this score
Memberships, one-time sales, video and livestreaming, newsletters, chat, podcast management with RSS and Spotify, member analytics, free trials and discounts. Among the most complete creator-membership platforms in its category.
Why this score
No fixed fee, but 10% plus processing, conversion and payout fees: the help centre's example leaves a creator $8.41 from a $10 web sale. iOS purchases outside the US also bear Apple's 30%.
Why this score
No speed or uptime measurements were found in the sources opened, so this is neutral; the app is updated regularly (Google Play shows an update on 7 November 2026).
Why this score
A help centre, chat and request form exist, but Trustpilot sits at 1.2/5 and its review summary cites automated replies and unresolved account issues.
Why this score
The privacy policy could not be opened to cross-check. Google Play declares the app may share personal info and device IDs with third parties; a 2015 breach exposed over 2.3 million emails; the 2025 profile merge drew privacy-related backlash.
What users say
- App Store (United States)4.9/5 · 582,157
- Google Play4.6/5 · 312,000
- Trustpilot1.2/5 · 961
Sources
- Vendor-providedPatreon pricing pageNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedPatreon About pageNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedHelp Center: standard platform fee for new creatorsNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedHelp Center: Creator fees FAQNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedHelp Center: how iOS in-app payment worksNov 10, 2026
- storeApp Store listing (United States)Nov 10, 2026
- storeGoogle Play listingNov 10, 2026
- review-siteTrustpilot reviewsNov 10, 2026
- Community-reportedWikipedia: PatreonNov 10, 2026
Specs & compatibility
- Developer
- Patreon, Inc.
- Headquarters
- United States
- Launched
- 2013
- Category
- Community
Capabilities
- Mobile app
- Integrations
- Real-time collaboration
Platforms
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Interface languages
- English
- French
- German
- Japanese
- Korean
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Chinese
- Spanish
Integrations
- Spotify
- PayPal
- Apple Pay
- Venmo
- RSS
Support
- Live chat
- Help center
- Community forum
Change history
- Update.Creators still on a legacy billing model are automatically switched to subscription billing.
- Feature.Patreon merges fan profiles into creator profiles, drawing negative feedback on Reddit and other forums.
- Price.A standard 10% platform fee applies to creators who publish after this date; earlier creators keep existing pricing.
Full change history (7)
- Feature.Patreon redesigns its interface and brand, adds community chats, and acquires Moment, a ticketed livestreaming platform.
- Price.Patreon announces patron-side service fees from 18 December 2017, then drops the plan and apologises after creator backlash.
- Update.Patreon suffers a cyber-attack: almost 15 GB of data is published, exposing 2.3 million+ emails.
- Launch.Jack Conte and Sam Yam launch Patreon.
About the author
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